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Roundup: Sole abortion clinic in Miss. sues over new law, Kansas awards Medicaid managed care contracts

The lone abortion facility in Mississippi asked a federal court on Wednesday to block a new state law that will require doctors who perform the controversial procedure to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The law, set to take effect on Sunday, threatens to make Mississippi the only U.S. state without an abortion clinic.

29 Jun 2012

Senate sends FDA user fee bill to Obama; House GOP putting pressure on AARP

In rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the FDA measure. On the other side of the Capitol, top Republicans delved into whether AARP represented its members' interests when the lobby group for seniors supported the health law.

28 Jun 2012

TTU researchers’ Romneycare results now available in Health Care Management Review

With the U.S. Supreme Court decision looming on the fate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) - informally known as Obamacare - two Texas Tech University researchers and a former colleague have published research that shows a similar plan implemented by Mitt Romney in Massachusetts did not work well for hospital productivity in the short term.

28 Jun 2012

CAPABLE program can help countless older adults avoid nursing home stays

Nursing homes do not have to be inevitable destinations for frail older adults. Many—even those with long-term health problems—can remain at home and be independent. All it takes is a little help to change "disability" to "capability".

28 Jun 2012

HHS honors UNTHSC, Brookdale Senior Living with $7.3M Health Care Innovation award

The UNT Health Science Center and Brookdale Senior Living, the largest senior living community operator in the country, recently were awarded a $7.3 million Health Care Innovation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a program designed to reduce hospital re-admissions of residents in assisted-living situations.

28 Jun 2012

Cigna enters agreement with Humana to purchase Medicare Advantage plans in Texas, Arkansas

Cigna today announced that it has come to an agreement with Humana to purchase select Medicare Advantage plans in Texas and Arkansas. The plans in the three markets - Amarillo, Longview-Marshall and Texarkana - are part of a previously announced government-stipulated divestiture for Humana to complete its acquisition of Arcadian Health.

28 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Look who's worried about activist judges now; No matter what the court decides, a bipartisan plan will be needed

It's a great pleasure, in this week when the entire political world is hanging on the Supreme Court's health care ruling, to welcome so many liberals to a cause dear to my heart: The crusade for judicial restraint.

28 Jun 2012

Federal government makes $13 billion in duplicative payments to veterans

A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that the federal government made about $13 billion in duplicative payments to provide health-care services to veterans who were simultaneously enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans from 2004-2009.

27 Jun 2012

Analysis finds double payments for Medicare, VA plans

The federal government, and by extension the taxpayer, pays "substantial and increasing" duplicate costs for healthcare among adults enrolled in both Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and the Veterans Administration (VA) health care program, a retrospective analysis determined.

27 Jun 2012

State roundup: Rules would ban collections in nonprofit ERs

The U.S. Department of Treasury released proposed regulations Monday that would ban debt collection activities in the emergency rooms of non-profit hospitals. The proposed restriction comes in the wake of a lawsuit by Minnesota's attorney general alleging Fairview Health Systems former contractor, Accretive Health hit up patients in emergency rooms for payment before treatment. The Treasury Department has proposed adding regulations to a part of the federal health care law to protect patients from abusive collection practices.

27 Jun 2012

How far will the ruling reach?

What the Supreme Court decides will impact the billions of dollars that have already been spent to implement the measure, as well as consumers, employers, small businesses, the health care industry, the insurance marketplace, and, of course, politics and K Street.

27 Jun 2012

Doctors' use of electronic records expanding quickly; Decline in malpractice claims also noted

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that the number of physicans and other providers using electronic health records doubled in three months. Meanwhile, a small study finds that the number of malpractice claims is lower among doctors using those electronic records.

27 Jun 2012

Pfizer, Wyeth and PF Prism file suit against Watson over generic Pristiq

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc. - Florida, filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Desvenlafaxine Succinate Extended-release Tablets, 50 mg and 100 mg.

26 Jun 2012

Feinstein Institute to train clinicians on how to better care for patients with schizophrenia

The Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has been approved for a $9.3+ million federal grant to train clinicians on how to better care for patients with schizophrenia.

26 Jun 2012

Enrollment and disenrollment in hospice linked to race

Although use of hospice services is increasing dramatically, a study led by Regenstrief Institute investigator Kathleen T. Unroe, M.D., MHA, an assistant research professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, has found that nonwhite Medicare patients with heart failure are 20 percent less likely to enroll in hospice than their white counterparts.

25 Jun 2012

Afirma gene expression test can reduce unnecessary thyroid cancer surgeries

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company that is pioneering the emerging field of molecular cytology, today announced results from a large, prospective, multicenter study, which demonstrated the potential for the Afirma® Gene Expression Classifier, a gene expression test, to reduce the large number of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid cancer diagnosis by more than half.

25 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 25, 2012

Today's headlines are focused on analysis and speculation surrounding the Supreme Court's health law ruling, which could come as early as today.

25 Jun 2012

New analysis finds increase in per-patient operating costs in PCMHs

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a concept at the heart of many health care reform models that aim to both improve the quality of care and reduce wasteful spending. But a new analysis of federally qualified health centers finds that clinics with higher scores as medical homes also had higher per-patient operating costs.

25 Jun 2012

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Teva in COPAXONE patent infringement case

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has found in favor of Teva in the Company's patent infringement lawsuit against Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Sandoz Inc. and Mylan Laboratories Inc./Natco Pharmaceuticals regarding Teva's relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) product, COPAXONE.

23 Jun 2012

Inova, Aetna partner to establish Innovation Health Plans in Northern Virginia

Inova Health System and Aetna today announced an exclusive partnership to establish Innovation Health Plans, a jointly owned health plan serving Northern Virginia, including more than 1.1 million residents currently served by Inova.

23 Jun 2012

Medicare News and Research

Roundup: Sole abortion clinic in Miss. sues over new law, Kansas awards Medicaid managed care contracts

Senate sends FDA user fee bill to Obama; House GOP putting pressure on AARP

TTU researchers’ Romneycare results now available in Health Care Management Review

CAPABLE program can help countless older adults avoid nursing home stays

HHS honors UNTHSC, Brookdale Senior Living with $7.3M Health Care Innovation award

Cigna enters agreement with Humana to purchase Medicare Advantage plans in Texas, Arkansas

Viewpoints: Look who's worried about activist judges now; No matter what the court decides, a bipartisan plan will be needed

Federal government makes $13 billion in duplicative payments to veterans

Analysis finds double payments for Medicare, VA plans

State roundup: Rules would ban collections in nonprofit ERs

How far will the ruling reach?

Doctors' use of electronic records expanding quickly; Decline in malpractice claims also noted

Pfizer, Wyeth and PF Prism file suit against Watson over generic Pristiq

Feinstein Institute to train clinicians on how to better care for patients with schizophrenia

Enrollment and disenrollment in hospice linked to race

Afirma gene expression test can reduce unnecessary thyroid cancer surgeries

First Edition: June 25, 2012

New analysis finds increase in per-patient operating costs in PCMHs

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Teva in COPAXONE patent infringement case

Inova, Aetna partner to establish Innovation Health Plans in Northern Virginia

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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